The Forgotten One
by MrMUnited95
Summary: Azami's complete takeover of Tootsuki Academy has begun. But what if Senzaemon actually knew this would happen eventually? He knows one person that can provide valuable aid to Souma and the gang in order to retake Tootsuki. Takes place before Ch. 161 of the manga.
1. The Masked Chef (Redone)

**All right. Take two. For those who have read this before will notice that I removed Rindou's tag along with my OC after I reconsidered the direction where this fanfic is going. For now, enjoy the redone chapter.**

* * *

 **The Masked Chef**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Shokugeki no Souma. All rights belong to their owners.**

 **Warning: Contains spoilers from the manga. I recommend you read it first before reading this.**

Ever since Azami Nakiri and Central took over Tootsuki Academy, the mood among the students has been somewhat depressing. One-by-one, each Research Society falls under the hands of Central. Everything is going according to plan. However, Azami's control of Tootsuki is not 100% just yet. It turns out that Senzaemon Nakiri, the former director, still has control over transfer students in terms of overseeing the applicant's form for only a month before it is handed over to Azami. That is the reason why Azami is looking at a file with close scrutiny. The identity of said student isn't disclosed thanks to Senzaemon's little remaining power.

The only details were his gender, place of birth, birthdate, place of residence and his nationality. Tootsuki should no longer accept applicants since the spring first semester began. However, Azami is considering it after what he has recently discovered.

There is a catch for those who still want to enter Tootsuki after the entrance exams. An unknown rule that not even the Elite Ten is aware of because it has been a long time something like this happened. Azami now only knows about this rule after he decides to read through the guidelines of how Tootsuki runs in order to see if any of them corresponds to his ideals.

" _I wonder what that old man is thinking? This student alone coming in?"_ Azami thought with his fist under his chin. He then turns his chair around and looks at the window.

" _No matter. I see it as a chance to further strengthen Central by recruiting him. In fact, I'll have an assembly just to welcome him personally,"_

A few days later, everyone gathers outside to hear the director's announcement. For a certain redhead, he just barely made it in time, much to the annoyance of his friends.

"Hey… Sorry I'm late… Overslept,"

"Souma-kun, I've knocked your door a couple of times, but you wouldn't open,"

"Sorry, Megumi. I promise that I won't oversleep again," Souma gives a thumbs-up.

"You always said that and still keep doing it…" Megumi sweat-dropped.

"Shh. You guys, Azami is about to speak,"

"Sorry, Ryoko," Megumi bowed.

On the stage behind the podium sits the current Elite Ten. However, only 7 of them are occupied as Satoshi Isshiki, Tosuke Megishima and Terunori Kaga were all let go due to them going against Azami's proposal. His daughter, the God's Tongue herself, Erina Nakiri, also voted against it for obvious reasons, but Azami kept her since he is confident she will return to her senses and go back to him. Azami then proceeds to the podium, overlooking every student. The student body is split into two: Those who are in support of Central and those who do not. After Azami explains the overhaul of the guidelines, some students apparently are on board. They thought this would be a great chance that they can produce Elite Ten level dishes. But the Polar Star students and some others know that this is a change for the worse.

"Good morning, everyone. I have a special announcement to make. As you all know that the academy no longer accepts applicants as soon as the first semester begins. It came to my attention that a student was accepted by my predecessor even after the semester begins,"

Everyone starts to murmur. They are confused to what Azami is getting at.

"After looking through the guidelines, it appears there is a rule when it comes to accepting these applicants. A rule where not even the Elite Ten knows about. That is why I gather all of you here today. It appears that should any student apply after the first semester begins, they must compete in a Shokugeki against a student of the director's choosing, where they must win in order to be accepted,"

Everyone is surprised that such a rule actually exists. However, this got Souma thinking.

" _So even if I fail the exam, I would still have a chance to enter through a Shokugeki?"_ Souma looks up at the sky with his right eye closed. Just then, one of Azami's guards came to the stage to whisper something.

"Everyone, everyone. The student himself has just arrived. May we please greet him up to the stage to give a few words?"

Everyone looks to the left of the stage, speculating what the student looks like. However, they were left with a mix of confusion and disappointment when the student's face is cover by a mask. While the mask covers his face except his mouth, the back of it has four straps joined right at the middle of the back of his head where everyone can see that the student has dark hair. The mask is like a tale of two sides. One side is white while the other side is black. The appearance left Rindou Kobayashi, the 2nd seat, giggling.

" _This will be interesting,"_ Rindou smiled.

The said student goes up to the podium and starts addressing everyone in attendance. He starts speaking in a low, silvery voice.

"Hello, everyone. Now you're wondering why I'm wearing a mask. Well, let's just say, I would like to reveal myself in my own terms. I'm very well aware that I have to compete in a Shokugeki in order to be accepted. Even if I lose, it would still be an honor to compete in what makes this academy unique. With that being said, actions speak louder than words. I want to have the Shokugeki today. Or more preferably… Right… Now," The student looks at Azami

As if everyone couldn't get any more shocked, they did. They started chatting among themselves about what has transpired so far. Azami though, got it under control.

"EVERYONE, SILENCE!" The students immediately stopped talking.

"Now I know everyone would want to see what this student is capable of, and so with Central being generous to give chances, we will have the Shokugeki immediately after this,"

Everyone started talking again with some buzz.

"Apologies, but may I know who my opponent is?" the masked chef asked.

"You will see once you enter the arena," Azami answers. The student shrugs his shoulders and proceeds to be given a ride to the arena. Later, every seat is filled in the arena. At the front row, the Polar Star students occupy the seats.

"Man, cant believe we're skipping today's class just to see what this guy is capable of," Yuki Yoshino stretches her arms upwards.

"Still, I wonder why Azami would do something like this. I don't see any reason for him to do so," Zenji Marui said.

"He might want to recruit another top chef in the making in his ranks to further strengthen Central and he wants to see if this student has what it takes. That's the only reason I can think of," Shun Ibusuki voices out.

"But I got a feeling that we might be in for an interesting Shokugeki," Souma said.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Ryoko Sakaki said. Souma then thinks about what just happened.

"Souma-kun, what are you thinking about?" Megumi notices Souma's expression.

"Although… I wonder if I can challenge this guy to a Shokugeki if he passes,"

"Seriously?" Megumi sweat-dropped again. Then, the student enters with his bag of tools over his shoulder and another bag with his ingredients. While he is wearing the usual chef's double-breasted jacket, he wears a pair of jeans along with it. Once he reaches his station…

"Hmph. So you're the new student everyone is talking about?"

The student turns to the voice.

"And you are?"

"The name's Rentarou Kusunoki. You are brave, but very stupid to compete in a Shokugeki. You came to Tootsuki at a very bad time. I'm seeking redemption over my recent loss to a first-year. And I won't let another first-year beat me again. Hmph, a wannabe chef like you should be easy to beat," Rentarou declared. He hasn't forgotten his loss against Ryo Kurokiba and wants to redeem himself.

"… We'll see about that," the masked chef puts his hands into his pockets.

Then, Urara Kawashima, the emcee cuts in.

"HELLO AND THANK YOU FOR WAITING! " Urara's fans cheered voraciously.

"Today we have a special Shokugeki where the new student could enter the academy even after applications are closed. All he needs to do is to defeat the director's choice, Rentarou Kusunoki,"

Some people cheered while the rest either booed or kept quiet as the Polar Star students did the latter.

"Now then, the theme for this Shokugeki is… International Fusion. The participants can combine any two styles of cuisine into one dish. Now… LET THE SHOKUGEKI BEGIN!"

Both competitors place their ingredients on their respective prep stations. The masked chef takes out knife and slices the plastic to unpackage his fillet mignon while Rentarou takes out a whole chicken and starts separating it. While the action is starting to gather pace, Souma notices something strange on the masked chef's prep station.

"Strange. That masked chef has so many bottles of condiments there," Souma pointed it out. On the counter are Sriracha, Honey, BBQ Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce, lemon and ginger.

"What on earth is he making with those ingredients?"

A voice took almost everyone in front row by surprise. The voice belongs to Alice Nakiri, Erina's cousin.

"Where the heck did you come from, Alice-chan?" Yoshino said.

"I just got here. Anyway, I also noticed he is taking out foie gras too," Alice points it out.

"You're right. It looks right he's making the French classic, Tournedos Rossini. A French steak dish that is accompanied by foie gras and a demi-glace sauce," Marui said

"But thinking about it now, those bottles of sauces he has does not look like it will turn into a demi-glace. And he has something else in that bag as well that looks off. But I couldn't tell what," Ryoko said.

"Let's look at Rentarou-senpai's side," Souma suggested. They see that Rentarou is putting some parts of the chicken into bag full of marinade sauce. He then close packages it in a plastic bag and puts into a compact vacuum packing device.

"Hey, what is that by that compact device?" Souma asked.

"That is called a sous vide. It is to cook evenly ensuring that the inside is properly cooked without the outside being overcooking to retain moisture. I should know. I used these things before," Alice explains before boasting a bit.

"That also looks like the marinade he is using is mainly milk. I saw him putting in cayenne powder too," Souma said.

"That is to reduce the fat from the chicken. Once he's done marinating the chicken, he will put it into the sous vide. I also see he is going to be making a sauce as well and there's some potatoes on the counter." Yoshino said. The Polar Star gang continues to observe.

The judges for this Shokugeki were familiar faces in Tootsuki. They are food writer Shingo Andō, the righteous man, Kakinoshin Ōizumi and Tootsuki lecturer, Roland Chapelle, who represents the academy since it would be best for a staff member to judge whether this masked chef is qualified to enter.

"Hmm… Tournedos Rossini. A classic French steak dish. But I'm more concerned about the sauce he's making," Roland kept his usual stern look at the masked chef.

"That sauce better work. If it doesn't, he is looking down on the reputation of the academy and rightfully doesn't deserve to enter," Andō commented.

"Who knows? It could be a part of the international fusion aspect. But I do share your concerns," Ōizumi said.

"I'm also curious on what else this masked chef have in that bag of his. Regardless, both chefs appear to give it their all and I look forward to the end result," Roland said.

Both competitors do indeed gave it their all. With their eye on their cooking to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Meanwhile, back at the Polar Star dorm, Erina is just looking out at the window with nothing to do. Then, she suddenly felt shivers throughout her whole body. It's as if she has felt something is going to go down. She was about to leave the room when she was suddenly struck with something. She starting coughing a bit and felt her body heat up. She's down on her knees, trying to reach the doorknob, but she falls flat not long after. Then, her close friend and aide, Hisako Arato, comes in with a manga in her hand.

"Erina-sama, I got the latest chapter of your favourite-" Hisako dropped the book when she saw Erina lying face first on the floor.

"ERINA-SAMA!" Hisako went close to Erina. She found Erina having short, raspy breaths. She supports Erina to her bed by her shoulder and lay her there. Hisako touched Erina's forehead and it confirms her suspicions. Erina is suffering from a fever. Just then, a ceiling tile was moved and someone pop out of it.

"Hisako-chan, what's going-" Satoshi Ishikki, the former 7th seat couldn't complete his question when he saw the state Erina is. His sudden appearance surprised Hisako out of her shoes, so to speak.

"Ishikki-senpai, Erina-sama is struck with a fever. I need your help. Please take care of her while I'm gone to get ingredients to cure it," Hisako voices her request.

"Say no more. I will take care of her. Tell Damido-san about this as well. Now get those ingredients," Satoshi accepted. Hisako nodded and left in a hurry. Satoshi then dropped down, sits down on a chair close to the bed and places his hand on Erina's forehead. Then, the warden of the dorm, Fumio Damido comes in.

"I heard about Erina having a fever. Is she all right?"

"Hmm… I think she will be Ok. But I think her temperature is very high than a usual fever," Satoshi reported while never taking his eyes off a feverish Erina. Fumio also places her hand on Erina's forehead.

"Hm. You're right. She is having a fever. I'll be right back to get a wet, cold towel to lower the temperature a bit," Fumio leaves the room momentarily.

" _Everything that you've been through lately… It's too much for you isn't it, Erina…?"_ Satoshi thought with his arms folded.

Later, back at the arena, Renatrou has finished his cooking. He went up to the judges to serve his food.

"Judges, I present to you Korean-style Chicken and Waffles,"

The dish has the breast and thigh part of the chicken which was seared and slathered with a rich light brown sauce and under it is a waffle. The judges thought it was ordinary.

"You know, for a 2nd year student, I expected more out of you. Then again, I've been surprised quite a number of times in the past few months. I hope I get surprised this time," Andō said, looking unimpressed by the presentation.

"Trust me, you'll be surprised. I suggest you try to eat the chicken with the waffle first," Rentarou smirked. The judges did as Rentarou told. After they bit through the chicken and the waffle, they have a shock.

"What on earth? The crunchiness and texture of the waffle goes well with the chicken. I taste potatoes somewhere. But I can't see them," Andō digs around for potatoes.

"Look inside the waffle," Rentarou simply said. The judges did and inside was grated potatoes and onions.

"You… You put them inside the waffle?" Ōizumi stared at Rentarou.

"Of course. Chicken and potatoes go well together and I thought, make an innovative version of the potato pancake.

"I see. You used aromatics inside the waffle to cancel out the spiciness of the sauce. But the marinade you used for the chicken also has a degree of spiciness. Surely the waffle alone isn't enough to cut through it," Roland commented.

"Chapelle-sensei, though the sauce is indeed meant to be spicy, I added one extra ingredient: Yogurt. I used normal yogurt instead of Greek as Greek Yogurt is too thick to use in this sauce,"

"So that's why the sauce is slightly thicker than usual. But wait, normally a chicken would have to be marinated between 2-8 hours. You finished this in 90 minutes. How did you-," Andō stopped when he saw Rentarou bringing out a blowtorch.

"In order to bring the taste more, I used the blowtorch to sear the chicken to bring out the caramelization since the chicken is underwater most of the time. I know which parts needed torching and those that didn't," Rentarou folded his arms, feeling proud of himself. The judges continue to enjoy the food.

" _Hmph. Let's see if this freaking wannabe chef have what it takes to beat me,"_ Rentarou looks over his shoulder to see the masked chef putting the final touches to his dish. He got everything ready except for one item and thus why he's waiting by the rice cooker. To pass the time, he grabbed took out a pari of drumsticks and starts drumming on the counter and the used utensils such as bowls and pans.

 _BOOM BOOM! CLANG! BO-BOOM BOOM! KLINK! BOOM BOOM KLINK KLINK BOOM BOOM! DING!_

The ding came from the cooker. But the masked chef continues to drum.

 _TAP TAP BOOM! TAP T-TAP KLINK! BOOM BOOM CLANG! BOOM BOOM! CLICK!_

After the second clang, he tosses the drumsticks in the air and presses the open button on the rice cooker, emitting a 'click' sound. He then catches the drumsticks and puts them back into his pocket. Just as he opens the cooker, an aromatic smell envelops the arena. The crowd doesn't know what to be in awe of: The rhythm of the drumming by the masked chef or the smell from the rice cooker. For one Akira Hayama, he instantly recognizes that smell.

" _That smell… There's no mistaking it. That's curry. But I'm curious how will curry fit into all this,"_ Hayama though with his hand on his chin. Moments later, he declared himself finish cooking. He takes the three plates to the judging table.

"Judges, I present to you. Tournedos Taco Rice. Enjoy," the masked chef served the dishes with a smile. The plate has slices of fillet mignon layered on top of shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes and a bed of rice. A brown sauce is drizzled on top of the dish.

"As someone who specializes in French cuisine, I do hope you do the steak justice considering that the sauce isn't a demi-glace," Roland sternly said.

"I hope so too," the masked chef chuckled. The judges start to dig in and suddenly, a burst of flavor explodes in the judges mouth. Once they started, they couldn't put their cutlery down as they continue eating. Rentarou and the crowd were stunned after they saw what the masked chef did.

"W-what? How can this be? E-everything goes well together. The juiciness of the beef, the sauce and the rice. How can this be?," Roland looks at the dish stunned.

"It's actually a little complicated to explain. Would you like me to elaborate?"

"Please do," Roland looks at the masked chef while still retaining shock on his face.

"Since I want to make the beef the star of this dish, I figured I needed to make a sauce of course. But I took the surprise route. Now the tongue has the five basic tastes: Sweetness, Saltiness, Sourness, Bitterness and Umami. Since the beef represents the umami, I figured that the rest of the four tastes would represent the sauce. Honey and BBQ sauce for the sweetness; Shikwasa, a type of lemon, for the sourness; and the Teriyaki sauce for that slight saltiness. I also added a bit of grated ginger to help the lemon to compliment the sweetness of the honey and BBQ sauce combine. The smokiness of the BBQ sauce also helps to bring the best out of the steak. And my secret ingredient…" The masked chef took out a food item and places it on the judging table.

"B-b—BITTER MELON?!" The judges said simultaneously.

"That's right. The Bitter Melon represents the bitterness. I blended a bit of the melon and the sauce together. After all, Bitter Melon does contribute the longevity of Okinawa where I was raised," The masked chef said proudly of his roots.

"Wait, I tasted curry and Foie Gras. The slight bitterness of the foie gras goes well with the curry rice. But where did you put the foie gras?" Ōizumi searches for the Foie Gras.

"Look into the rice. I figured that a Tournedos Rossini would not be it with foie gras. So I implement it on the rice. After searing it, I put it into the rice cooker to finish the cooking process. A combination of curry and foie gras is something I came up with a few months ago,"

" _This chef… Who is this chef?"_ Roland thought to himself.

* * *

Andō, Ōizumi and Roland suddenly find themselves by the shores of a beach, wearing Hawaiian style shirts. They sit together by a table in front of a stage. Just then, a masked young man comes up and bows to the audience. He then sits behind the drum set and starts playing with rhythm and power. A few minutes of banging and the masked young man kept up the intensity without stopping, earning some applause. Then, he stopped with a clang. After a few moments of applause, he then starts playing a different rhythm while lowering the power of his banging. Slowly, he raises the intensity and it is indeed music to the ears. He finishes with a bang, earning more applause. After that, he gets up goes towards a small round table. On it is a hat and a bunch of other food items. He tosses rice, steak, foie gras, a bunch of sauces and other ingredients into the hat. He then does a little twirl with one of his drumsticks, pretending to be a wand. After that, he turns the hat around, covering the opening. He then slowly raises the hat and a plate of food is presented beautifully, earning awes from the crowd.

"Now, I'm gonna go over a table and have them taste test this dish I called Tournedos Taco Rice. Hmm… You sirs, how about you try my dish?" the masked man comes down from the stage and approaches Ando, Oizumi and Roland. The three men looked at each other, hesitant to try this dish. Nevertheless, they tried and after the first bite, a burst of flavor popped in their mouths and they continue eating it in front of the rest of the curious crowd. Judging by the men's reaction, they were impressed that the masked man threw a bunch of ingredients and actually made it delicious, let alone presented beautifully after a magic trick.

"Relax, everyone. I have prepared this dish for each and every one of you as your main course for tonight. I hope you enjoy the rest of the night," Everyone stood up and gave a raucous applause once the dish arrives and they taste it.

* * *

Back to reality, Rentarou could not believe the judges' reactions as he grits his teeth out of . Surely he has not suffered another loss?

"Here. Taste it," Rentarou turns around and sees the masked chef serving him an extra helping of the Taco Rice. He reluctantly tried the dish and once he got the food in his mouth, his mind went blank.

" _How…? Just how did he make something so random taste so good?"_

* * *

Back to the imaginary stage by the beach, Rentarou is sitting by a table refuses to eat the dish as he believed that the masked man was able to create something delicious out of nowhere. But after gauging the crowd's reaction, he decides to try it anyway with low expectations. While he was eating, the crowd got up and gave a thundering applause. He was shocked that it was creating a symphony in his mouth. He got up slowly, looking down and gripping the cutlery. He soon relaxed and starts to applaud as well.

* * *

 _Masked Chef 3-0 Rentarou Kusunoki_

"AND THE MASKED CHEF IS YOUR WINNER! HE IS NOW A STUDENT AT TOOTSUKI ACADEMY! LET US WELCOME HIM!" Urara announced.

Down at the arena, Rentarou is on all fours and is about to be on the verge of a mental breakdown. He has now lost two Shokugekis in a row and both came at the hands of a first-year. Then, Azami walks past him and faces the masked chef while clapping his hands.

"Excellent. Your style of cooking exceeded all my expectations. However, I do have my doubts before you presented to the judges. But I can let it slide for now," Azami said. He pulls out a Central pin from his jacket and hands it to the masked student.

"As the director of Tootsuki, I welcome you to the academy. I would personally invite into my prestigious Central group,"

"Thank you. It's an honor to enroll into this prestigious academy. The first thing I want to do…" the masked chef tosses the pin with force to the floor and steps on it, sending further shockwaves throughout the arena. Azami's face turned dark. The masked chef turns his attention towards Urara.

"Excuse me. Urara right? May I have the microphone? I want everyone to hear what I have to say,"

Urara hands the masked chef the mike. After testing it out, the masked chef starts to speak as he sits down on the chair with the lights focusing on him. After that, he takes out a blank book and starts reading it as he faces Azami. He pretends that the blank book has a story in it with the book on one hand and the mike in the other.

"Let me tell you all a bedtime story. Once upon a time, there was a girl born with a silver spoon in her mouth and has an extraordinary ability that sets her apart from the rest. She has it all. Fame, fortune and her ability. But there's one thing she doesn't have. Love. Because of her ability, she was subjected to torture by her own father in order to maximize this ability. Her mother tried her best to give all the love to her. But the damage is beyond repair. The father's methods were too much and as a result, the girl's heart is locked to a cage. The girl would still side with her father no matter what," the masked chef stopped to take a sip of water.

"Meanwhile, the girl's twin brother himself has shown signs of high intelligence and has a knack to learn when it comes to food. Anticipating that the girl's brother might be tortured as well, the mother requested her father, the girl's grandfather, for help to run away from the father, the very man she married, to prevent her son from facing the same fate. And as such, the grandfather reluctantly accepted and thus, the mother cut off ties with her family to protect her son. But the father didn't give a damn and the girl was further saddened that her mother and twin brother, who she plays with all the time, is no longer with her," The masked chef stopped again for a bit to drink some more water. Azami became stoic.

"Years later, the mother and the twin brother were living in tranquility. The brother, now grown into a handsome young man, lives a normal life in Okinawa. But his life was turned upside down when his grandfather, who comes by whenever he is free, came to see him and his mother. The grandfather asked his grandson to come back. The grandfather told him what happened and showed him what his long lost, so to speak, twin sister went through and how the father has now ruled the culinary world with an iron fist. As it turned out, the young man had no idea about his bloodline. He vented his anger towards his grandfather and mother for hiding his true heritage. However, after realizing that his father might force his ideals and methods towards everyone, he accepted to return, much to his mother's chagrin. After he assures his mother that everything will be Ok, he sets off on a whole new adventure to not only take down his father, but to save his twin sister as well. He was able to enter the organization that his father now rule in a bid to defeat him. It remains to be seen whether there will be a happily ever after,"

Then he stands up and undone the clips of his mask. He takes it off while looking down. He then slowly raises his head and he reveals his face to all. He has medium-length black hair that reaches to his chin level and covers his both his ears and has pink eyes. One notable feature is that he has a cowlick that was covered by his mask that sticks out upwards. He closes his eyes for a bit before he looks dead at Azami's eyes.

"And with that, let me introduce myself. My name is Shinji Nakiri: the fraternal twin brother of Erina Nakiri. And I'm here to take you down… dad," Shinji tosses the mike and continues the intense staredown with his pink eyes. There were moments of silence before everyone registered what just transpired and they all said the same thing.

"EHHHHHHHHHH!?"

 **To Be Continued**

* * *

 **As you may noticed, I've drastically made changes to the first chapter. But I still feel that my descriptions about how a Shokugeki goes needs improvement. As for the direction where I'm taking my OC to, let's just say he will be in a supporting role along with some of the cast. The first few chapters will focus on his character before making a transition towards the main cast. But plans may change depending on if I have a better idea or not. So take it with a grain of salt for now. Stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	2. A Concerned Sibling

**This one surprisingly took less time than I thought. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **A Concerned Sibling**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Shokugeki no Souma. All rights belong to their owners.**

No one could not believe what they have just heard. The teen with the ahoge not only declares himself as a Nakiri, but being the son of Azami and twin brother of Erina. They focus on Azami to gauge his reaction. Much to everyone's surprise, he laughs.

"It's been a while… My dear son," Azami folds his arms. That seals it. Shinji's claims are true. Everyone doesn't know how to take this news.

"How's your mother doing?"

"Much better ever since you're not in her life anymore toying with her emotions,"

Both men kept staring intensely with each other with different tones. Azami has a cold glazed stare and Shinji's stare is wild-eyed and burning with fire.

"I'll… I'll never forgive you, dad. I will take you down," Shinji's voice shakes a bit from the pent-up anger.

"We'll see about that," Azami turns around and walk away.

"Oh, and welcome to Tootsuki again," Azami looks over his shoulder at Shinji, before leaving the area. Shinji soon leaves too. The Polar Star gang, along with Alice and Ryo, looked at each other with disbelief. Despondence soon followed on Alice's face.

"Alice-san, did you know about Shinji?" Megumi said.

"I did… But when we were three, he and alongside Aunt Rumi* cut off their ties from the family and disappeared into thin air. And I don't know why," Alice was about to continue her story before Souma's phone rings. He picks it up.

"Hello?"

…

"Oh, Isshiki-senpai. What's up?"

…

"What? A fever? Ok. I'll tell everyone. See ya," Souma hangs up.

"Souma-kun, who has a fever?" Yuki asked with a bit of concern.

"Isshiki-senpai tells us to come back to the dorm. Erina has a fever,"

Almost immediately, everyone left the arena in a hurry to check on their friend. Meanwhile, Shinji wanders to the arena exit, reflecting on what has happened.

* * *

"Shinji-sama?"

"Ah. Yes?" Shinji was shaken out of his thoughts by a helper.

"The car is ready to take you to your accommodations and all your baggage is in the boot,"

"Ah. Thank you. And forget the honorifics. Just call me Shinji,"

"As you wish, Shinji," The helper nodded and bowed. Shinji steps into the back seat as the helper closes the door afterwards. Then, the car takes off. Shinji looks out of the window. He was raised with a humble background at an Okinawan city, so he's not used to the luxurious lifestyle. He may look calm, but deep inside he's a bit nervous about something.

* * *

Later, the gang arrives back at the dorm and went straight to Erina's room. They entered and see Satoshi sitting by her bedside.

"Satoshi-senpai, is Erina-san Ok?" Ryoko said.

"Her fever is still high and she also coughs a lot too," Satoshi replies. As soon as he said that, Erina coughs for quite a while. Satoshi then takes off the wet towel that laid across Erina's forehead.

"I need someone to get a fresh, wet, cold, towel,"

"I'm on it," Ryoko grabs the towel and heads off to the bathroom. Yuki then realizes something.

"Oh my god. We should've told Shinji-san about Erina-" Yuki was interrupted by someone coughing a bit to get everyone's attention by the doorstep. They turn around to Daimido standing before her.

"There's no need for that, brats. Because he's here," Everyone became alert when Daimido broke the news.

"What? Who's here?" Satoshi raises his eyebrow.

"Erina's twin brother," As if on cue, Shinji stands by the open door, being the subject of surprised stares from the rest of the gang. The gang clears a path for Shinji to walk through. He gladly did with solemn eyes focusing on his twin sister's feverish body. The atmosphere is so quiet that only Shinji's footsteps are heard. Even Souma for once can read the situation. Erina is napping so she didn't know who is approaching her. Satoshi then notices Shinji's pink eyes and gladly stood up to let Shinji sit down. Shinji acknowledges by nodding slightly and sit down.

"Maybe we should leave them alone," Megumi suggested. Everyone agreed and left the room, leaving Shinji and Erina alone. Moments after they left, Erina starts to open her eyes. Her blurry vision couldn't recognize who is sitting beside her, but she did make out the ahoge Shinji has. She was about to say something, but the coughing stopped her.

"Hey. Don't force yourself. Just rest," Shinji whispered. Erina looked at him for a few moments before closing her eyes. Shinji stayed in the same position for a while, not taking his concerned eyes off Erina.

"Guys. I got the to…wel," Ryoko comes in. She is surprised when she sees Shinji and no sign of the rest of the crew. Shinji gets up. He got a bit too close to Ryoko for her liking as his towering frame overwhelms her a little.

"Thank you. I'll handle it," Shinji takes the cold towel and proceeds to put it on his twin sister's forehead. He then sits back down and continue keeping an eye on Erina. Ryoko couldn't help but observe Shinji's body language. Why is she doing this? It was because she looked at Shinji's eyes when he got close to her. Shinji's darting eyes made her feel that there's something troubling him despite him smiling. Shinji notices her behavior.

"Is everything Ok?" Shinji raises an eyebrow.

"Huh? Oh. Y-yes. Everything's Ok. Just wondering where the rest are. I'll leave you alone now," Ryoko leaves the room and closes the door behind her. She leans against the door for a bit, trying to understand what Shinji is feeling. She decides to share it with the rest of the gang. In Marui's room, everyone is in there to discuss what has happened. Satoshi has been briefed about everything.

"I see. That's an interesting way to tell someone your background. He definitely made an impact. With the way Shinji showed his defiance to Azami, he's definitely on our side. Him being here proves it," Satoshi said.

"You know, I've never seen someone so happy cooking ever since I got here. Everyone here seems so serious when they cook," Souma remarked with one eye closed and the other looking up.

"Because if you don't take it seriously Souma-kun, you may get expelled…" Megumi deadpanned.

"Still, I'm glad that he's joining us. I look forward to working with him," Souma follows up.

"I'm surprised though when Uncle Azami just flats out acknowledges it instead of denying that Shinji is part of the family," Alice said.

"I think he doesn't see Shinji as a threat… like the rest of us," Ryo commented with severity. His bandana is half worn on his head causing his personality to flip-flop.

"But you still won against one of their members, Ryo-kun. Shouldn't that be something?" Yuki asked.

"It's just one loss for Central. Do you think Uncle Azami would let that one defeat get to him? Even he thinks Souma's win over Eizan doesn't bother him because Eizan didn't give 100%," Alice folded her arms.

"Then that means all we have to do is just inflict a huge blow to Azami's forces, right?" Souma asked.

"I wish it is easy to do that though," Shun remarked. Just then, Ryoko comes in.

"Hey, Ryoko-chi. What took you so long?" Yoshino chirped up a bit.

"Sorry. I was handing the towel to Shinji-san," Ryoko said with a bit of sadness. Satoshi picked up on it.

"Ryoko-chan, why are you feeling down?"

Now everyone's attention turned to the 'big sister' of the dorm. She looks around and sees that everyone is looking at her. She sighs heavily before she talks.

"When Shinji approached me to get the towel, I looked at his eyes. He may have smiled, but I felt something negative. It's like he's sad about something. Not just sad, but… despair. I decided not to ask him about it because we only just met and I thought it will be rude of me to intrude…" Ryoko trails off.

Everyone thought of what Ryoko just said before Marui voice out his thoughts.

"Guess there's more to this then meets the eye,"

"We'll only ask him if he's comfortable about it. For now, let's all give him a warm welcome to Tootsuki and Polar Star," Satoshi said happily to which everyone agreed. Then, a knock on the door is heard. Megumi, who is closest to the door, opens and got surprised when she sees Shinji on the doorstep.

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to surprise you. Damido-san said that all of you would be here. I'm sure most of you know who I am already but let me introduce myself again. My name is Shinji Nakiri and thank for taking me in here," Shinji bowed with a smile.

"The pleasure is all mine, Shinji-kun. My name is Satoshi Isshiki. A second-year student and former 7th seat of the Elite Ten," Satoshi introduces himself.

"Former? Let me guess, you were removed because you were against my poor lousy excuse of a father's ideals?" Shinji frowned. The way Shinji described his father shows a little more of how much hatred he has for his father.

"You're right, unfortunately. So what brings you here, Shinji-kun? Do you need anything?"

"Right. Anyway, I was told that there is a dorm entry exam and I can only enter if I get can approval from the dorm warden; or in this case, Daimido-san. But I decided to up the ante and made a special request to this exam. I have already gained approval about it from Daimido-san," Shinji smiled again and kept it for a while.

"I see. So what is your request?"

"I want you all to judge my food. I want approval from each and every one of you to see that if I'm worthy to join the good fight all of you are in," Shinji puts his arms on his hips.

Everyone looked at each other to see if they would accept Shinji's request. Satoshi, being the leader of the dorm, asked everyone to raise their hands if they accept. Souma instantly raises his hand and everyone soon followed.

"Your request is accepted, Shinji-kun. We all look forward to what you can create,"

Seeing that everyone is eager to try his food, Shinji smiled brightly. He can't wait to show what he has got.

"All right. That's what I'm talking about. Be prepared to take a tour of Okinawa," Shinji winked.

"Wait, I'm going to invite a few others since they are also teaming with us to fight Central," Souma takes out his phone and starts text message.

"Bring them. The more the merrier as they say. I'm going to the kitchen to prep now. So excited," Shinji said with enthusiasm as he turns around to leave the room.

"Wait, someone…" Megumi tried to warn Shinji about something but he has already made his exit.

"… is using the kitchen right now…" Megumi trailed off. She then looks at Yuki, who made a quizzical look.

"Yuki-chan, what's wrong?"

"I don't know why, but I feel that I've seen him from somewhere before. But I can't put my finger on it," Yuki sticks out her tongue a bit while placing her fist under her chin.

"Now that you mention it, Yuki-chan. I also seen him from somewhere," Daigo Aoki, looks up and thought about it.

"Oh. I saw him in a commercial before. Maybe that's it," Shoji Sato said as he thought he got it. But Daigo disagreed and got up to Shoji.

"You moron. I didn't see him in a commercial before. I know I saw him somewhere else,"

"Maybe because you haven't seen it, idiot,"

"YOU WANNA SAY THAT AGAIN?!"

"I CAN SAY THAT AGAIN UNTIL YOU GET THE MESSAGE, STUPID!"

Both Shoji and Daigo got into each other's faces in one of their famous 'arguments'. It got heated as tempers flared and they throw insults to each other.

" _Not again…"_ Megumi thought with a sweat-drop. For Alice though, she thought about her long lost cousin's behavior and what Ryoko told everyone just now. She has a feeling on what is causing this, but she decided to follow Satoshi's advice and let Shinji to open up to them if he feels like it.

" _I'm not gonna let another cousin of mine wallow in sadness. There's no way in hell I'm gonna let that happen,"_ Alice thought with determination.

To Be Continued

* * *

 ***Rumi is just a name I come up for Erina ( & Shinji's) mother, since their mother's name is not known. I wonder if they're gonna reveal the origins of the rest of the Nakiri family.**

 **My personal thoughts on what has been happening in the latest chapter of SnS. I'm gearing up for either pure ecstasy or bitter disappointment for whatever the outcome is. I don't know what's gonna happen next. But with how the series has got me on the edge of my seat is what makes me think on why SnS is one of the greatest series I've read so far.**

 **MrMUnited signing out. Stay tuned for the next chapter.**


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